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Illustrated Treatise on the Maritime Kingdoms, Volume 48: The Atlantic Ocean, Northern Turkey

Illustrated Treatise on the Maritime Kingdoms, Volume 48

Originally authored by Europeans

Translated by Lin Zexu of Houguan Lin Zexu (1785–1850) was the high-ranking Qing official whose efforts to suppress the opium trade led to the First Opium War; during the conflict, he organized the translation of Western news and geography.

Compiled and edited by Wei Yuan of Shaoyang Wei Yuan (1794–1857) was a scholar-official who expanded Lin's research into this encyclopedic work to help China understand the Western powers.

The Atlantic Ocean The Continent of Europe

Northern Turkey

A note by the compiler, Wei Yuan: This is the ancient land of Greece original: "额力西" (Elixi), a transliteration of Hellas/Greece, which was recorded as "Eleji" in the Record of Foreign Lands Zhifang Waiji A world geography written in Chinese by the Jesuit missionary Giulio Aleni in 1623. This region was merged with Hungary to form the current state. Its southern territories lie within the continent of Asia and are called Southern Turkey. While the various nations of the European continent all follow the Christian faith, this is the only country among them that adheres to Islam.

The Turkish people consist of many different tribes. They originally inhabited the central regions of Tartary A historical term used by Europeans and Asians for the vast region of North and Central Asia, to the northeast of the Jaxartes The Syr Darya river in modern-day Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan and near the Altai Mountains. The people are of tall stature with ruddy complexions, quite unlike the slender and small frames of the Mongol Tartars. In earlier times, they did not have a formal state, but were merely nomadic followers of Islam. By the year 1000 of the Christian era during the reign of Emperor Zhenzong of the Song Dynasty...